Chapter Twelve

Christmas … The Butt Crack of Dawn

Something was poking me in the shoulder.

I swatted at it, shifting away from it.

It poked me again, harder.

“Mom,” a voice whispered in my ear.

“What?” It came out more of a groan than a word.

“Wake up! Santa came.”

Doc shifted in the bed beside me, his hand sliding up my ribcage, settling under my breast. I started to scoot closer to him and then stopped cold.

Shit. We had an audience.

I opened my eyes.

Addy and Layne stood at my side of the bed, their gazes going back and forth between Doc and me.

My glance at Doc found his eyes still closed. His hand started to drift higher.

I let out a squeak and jackknifed upright. “Look at all of that snow,” I said, pointing at the window.

While their attention was diverted, I nudged Doc awake. He blinked a couple of times and then his focus locked onto the kids as they turned back to us.

“Doc’s in your bed again,” Layne pointed out.

I couldn’t read if he was unhappy about that or not by his poker face. “Uh, yeah, he sure is.”

“Are your ribs still hurting?” Addy asked Doc, her forehead creased. “Mom said it would take awhile to heal.”

His bruised ribs requiring a nighttime nurse was the reason we’d given for him being in my bed last week when the kids had found him by my side.

“They’re a little sore yet.” He shot me a questioning glance. “Did Santa come?”

Layne crossed his arms. “No boy has ever slept in this room with Mom before besides me.”

When the kids were younger, I’d let them sleep in my room with me when we visited, but only one was allowed in bed next to me at a time. The other camped out on the floor in a sleeping bag. That’s when I’d told Layne that he was the only boy who’d ever slept in the bed with me. I was surprised he remembered that detail after all of these years.

“Really?” Doc sat up. “Did you like this bed?”

“It was okay. Mom has cold feet though in the winter.”

“Oh, boy, does she,” Doc agreed with a chuckle, dodging my pinching fingers. “Did your mom kick you when you slept with her? Because I think she bruised my shin last night.”

“She moves her legs a lot like she’s running from something,” Addy explained. “One time she kneed me in the back so hard it made me scream awake.”

“It wasn’t that hard,” I defended. “And it was more of a squeak than a scream.” I’d been stressed out at the time about my old job at the dealership and a customer who was giving me hell about a car repair gone bad. Those problems paled in comparison to the shitstorms I faced these days.

“Hey!” Natalie said from the doorway. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and my mom’s thick terrycloth wildflower robe belted around her waist. “Are we opening Santa’s presents or what?”

Both kids grinned wide at her before turning to me again. “Can we, Mom?”

“Of course! Go with Nat and start dividing up the presents. Doc and I will be right out.”

The kids took off in a flash.

Nat made room for them to pass, watching them go. “You owe me one for that distraction, babe.”

“Agreed,” I said and shooed her away. “Close the door behind you, please.” I didn’t need to have my parents stopping by for a visit while we were still in bed.

After the door was shut, I hopped out of bed and pulled my yoga pants on over my satin skivvies.

Doc sat up in bed, watching me. “Oh man. Now I’m going to be thinking about that slippery satin all day long.”

I grinned, grabbing my thick sweater. “Are you going to get dressed or what?”

“So, I’m the only man who’s ever slept with you in your bed, huh?” His smile had a cocky glint to it.

I pulled the sweater over my head. “Yeah. You want to make a big deal out of it?”

“I might. A trophy would be nice. Maybe a crown with a sexy little ceremony later to commemorate it. Your red satin panties optional, of course.”

I laughed, pulling the covers off of him. “Come on. The kids are waiting. We have presents to open.”

Even though I was mostly dressed when Doc crawled out of bed, he still managed to beat me out the door, catching my hand and dragging me along behind him.

Natalie, my parents, and Aunt Zoe were waiting for us in the living room with the kids. Susan was missing, much to my relief. Harvey came knocking as we were settling down, joining in the Santa fun. According to him, Reid and Cornelius were starting to rattle around next door when he’d left, and Cooper was in the shower.

A glance in Natalie’s direction at that last bit about Cooper ran smack-dab into a steely glare. I shrugged with a grin and focused on my kids and their presents.

The Tasmanian devil had nothing on Addy and Layne when it came to tearing through presents. Squeals of delight filled my ears for the next thirty minutes or so, including one from my mom when she saw the new robe covered in stars and moons that Aunt Zoe had given her.

The expensive bottle of imported mead from Poland that I special ordered for one of Doc’s gifts earned me a heart-palpitating smolder. He leaned over and kissed my cheek, whispering, “You do remember that mead is the elixir of love, right?”

I licked my lips in reply, eager to try the mix of fermented honey and raspberry along with him.

After the chaos had died down, I escaped to the kitchen in search of caffeine, leaving Doc on the floor with Addy. He was helping her assemble a portable veterinarian toy my mom had added to the “from Santa” gifts that included tiny dogs and cats for Addy to examine. Meanwhile, Layne and Natalie sat together on the couch looking through a book about legendary monsters that Doc had given him under the Santa guise.

Aunt Zoe and my dad were already in the kitchen when I arrived, whispering heatedly by the sink. My father’s crossed arms and set jaw left little doubt about the topic of their discussion.

“You two better be nice to Reid when he gets here,” I said, grabbing two mugs from the cupboard. “He saved my bacon last night.”

“That’s not what we’re arguing about,” Aunt Zoe said with a sniff. “At least not in the way you think.”

“What’s going on, then?”

“Blake wants to go with Reid to the store in my place and I don’t believe it’s a good idea.”

I set the mugs on the counter in front of the coffee pot that was in the midst of brewing. The scent of fresh coffee woke up my inner smartass. I grinned at her. “You think Dad will ditch the body in a snow bank on the way back?”

Dad shot me a conspiratorial wink. “Who says I’ll let him live long enough to even make it to the store?”

“Blake,” Aunt Zoe said. “I know you’re being a protective big brother right now, and I really appreciate it, but you need to let this go. I have Reid under control.”

“Really?” Dad said, grabbing his sister’s hand and holding out her arm. “Then explain this.”

I joined them, taking a closer look at the charm bracelet wrapped around her wrist. The bracelet was made of woven silver heart links. I whistled in appreciation at the charms decorating the heart bracelet, each adorned with different-colored jewels.

“Did Reid give you this?” I asked. Was it the “special something” he’d mentioned last night?

“Yes. He had me open it on the porch before we came inside.”

It was breathtaking. No wonder he’d wanted to give it to her in person.

“What do these represent?” I asked, pointing at the unique charms.

“Each symbolizes different strong women in mythology or history.” She pointed at a skull charm with a tiny ruby in its mouth. “This gold one is Itzpapalotl, the Aztec skeletal warrior goddess. And this one with the shield and amethyst center represents Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war.”

 

 

“I love it.” Reid knew my aunt well. “What about the rest?”

She turned her wrist so I could see each one. “Joan of Arc with a piece of aragonite at the base of her sword. Freyja, a goddess from Norse mythology who’s associated with love, sex, beauty, fertility, war, and death is here with a sapphire. Here is Bellona, the Roman goddess of war with a ruby in her shield. This one with the jade piece represents the Maya moon goddess. And this last one with the jasper stands for one of my favorite women from history. It’s Khutulun, the thirteenth-century Mongol princess. Marco Polo wrote about her in his chronicles. She was a skilled warrior who vowed to marry only the man who could defeat her in wrestling.”

“Did any guy ever beat her?”

“No, but she’s said to have won thousands of horses from would-be suitors. She did eventually marry a warrior. Some have said that true love was her downfall, while others claimed she was forced into a liaison for strategic reasons.”

I stepped back, impressed as hell. “Reid handpicked these charms for you?”

She scowled, nodding. “He said he had it custom made for me.”

“Damn,” I said, chuckling. “That man is smooth.”

“Yeah,” Dad said with a huff. “Slick as they come. He always has been when it comes to schmoozing your aunt.”

Aunt Zoe wrinkled her nose at my dad.

Mom breezed into the kitchen, her purse in hand. “Reid is here. He’s game to drive me to the store. Are you ready?” she asked Aunt Zoe.

“Zoe isn’t going,” Dad said. “I am.”

“Oh, dear,” my mom replied, her forehead lining.

When Aunt Zoe started to object, Dad held up his hand. “I promise to be on my best behavior.”

“Blake, I don’t want—”

“It’s high time Reid and I talked this out and got a few things straight, man to man.”

“I still don’t think—”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take Violet with us.”

I did a double take. “We will?”

My father nodded. “You can make sure I keep my hands to myself and not throttle the bastard for breaking my sister’s heart.”

“I will?” I repeated, not sure this was such a good idea. I hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet. Taking me out in public was a potential life-threatening hazard. Rabid dogs were nicer to strangers than me sans caffeine.

Mom looked at me and then down at my sweater and yoga pants before focusing on my hair. “Well, hurry up, Violet. I want to make a couple of quiches for breakfast and I need more eggs.”

I smirked. Her lack of eggs must have haunted her in her sleep. “I really think Aunt Zoe should go in my place.”

“Nope,” Dad said. He turned me around by the shoulders and nudged me toward the living room. “Get cracking. The bus leaves in five minutes.”

“It’s a snowcat,” I corrected.

“Go!”

I did as told, changing in lightning speed. I was sitting on the bed pulling on my snow boots when Doc came into the bedroom.

“I hear you’ve been recruited to play referee this morning.”

I blew out a breath. “Gah! Like I want to be in the middle of my dad and Reid having it out about Aunt Zoe.”

“Before you go, I have something for you.”

“Is it a portable shark cage? I could use a good-sized tranquilizer gun.” I stood as Doc pulled a mid-sized box wrapped in silver paper with a red bow from under the bed.

“How many presents do you have stashed under there?”

He handed me the gift. “Merry Christmas.”

It felt weighty. I shook it and smiled. “Is it a bunch more socks?”

He laughed. “Open it.”

I tore off the paper with zeal, time being short and all, and opened the box lid. I gasped. An indigo cashmere trench coat filled the box. I lifted it out and laid it on the bed, running my fingers over the soft, luxurious fabric. “It’s beautiful.”

“Try it on,” he urged, his hands jammed in his jeans’ front pockets.

“Doc, this is too much.” It couldn’t have been cheap, not with the name brand on the inside tag.

“You needed another coat. Our adventures back in Slagton obliterated your red one.”

I slipped it on, adjusting the classic collar, smoothing my hand down the double-breasted front. It fit like it was made for me. “It’s perfect.”

His eyes narrowed. “Do you really like it? You’re not just saying that, right? Because I can return it for another style or color.”

I nearly tackled him in a rushed hug. “I love it.” I kissed him hard and then stepped back and did a little twirl, mimicking my daughter from the previous night. “It will look amazing with my purple cowboy boots.”

His eyes sparkled. “I know. I have a few new fantasies starring you, your boots, and that coat.”

I returned to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing him back against the wall. “Kiss me, mon amour.”

“Cara mia, that’s French.” He looked down at my coat. “I can’t get to your arm to kiss it.”

“Will my lips do?” I puckered up.

“Ay yi yi, these lips.” He cupped my face and gave me a scorching kiss that burned clear to my cold toes.

“Violet!” My dad’s voice boomed down the hall. “Let’s go. Your mom is waiting.”

I sighed and pulled away. “Can I wear it to the store?”

“It’s your coat, Tish.”

After one more quick kiss and a breathy, “Thank you, Gomez,” I raced out of the bedroom. My worries about playing referee between my dad and Reid had eased for the moment.

Mom raised her eyebrows as I joined her in the foyer. “New coat?”

“Doc got it for me.”

She smiled wide. “He’s a keeper.”

I agreed. I was seriously considering locking Doc in the basement and never letting him out around the rest of the female population again. “It will look great with the new Ferragamo pumps you bought me, too,” I said, kissing her cheek. My shoe supplier had fed my addiction with another hit, this time a pale pink, low-heeled pump.

Susan sauntered into the foyer as Mom reached for the door. My happy balloon deflated a bit at the sight of her form-fitting silver sweater dress. She looked like a sexy strand of tinsel bordered with blood red lips on top and spiky boots on the bottom.

I tried not to roll my eyes, but couldn’t help myself. “Jeez, Susan. This isn’t the Playboy Bunny holiday party.”

“Jealous much?” she taunted, standing up straighter so that her perky boobs practically poked out my eyes.

Mom sighed. “You two knock it off. We have guests.”

The silver strumpet looked toward the living room, her grin edging on feral. “We haven’t had this much testosterone here for Christmas since that all-boy choir stopped by to sing carols when Violet and I were in high school.”

I grimaced. “Those were little boys.”

“And these are all big handsome men.” She purred.

I narrowed my eyes. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

“Mind your own business,” she snapped back.

“Girls!” Dad said, breaking things up before we degenerated to our usual claws and hair-pulling routine.

“Sweetie,” Mom said to Susan. “We’ll be back soon. Would you be a dear and help your Aunt Zoe cut up some fruit for breakfast while I’m gone?”

“Yes, Mother.” She looked back at me. “That’s a pretty fancy coat, big sis. We need to talk.”

“Talking never goes well for us. I think avoidance is a better plan for today.” Without giving her a chance to nip at me in return, I followed my parents out the door to where Reid and his snowcat sat idling.

My father’s shoulders tightened at the sight of Aunt Zoe’s ex. He laced his fingers and cracked his knuckles.

“Dad,” I warned. “You promised Aunt Zoe.”

“I’ll be good. But first, I’m going to explain a thing or two to Mr. Fireman about starting fires he can’t put out.”

My father had plenty of muscle to back up that statement, but Reid spent his working hours pumping iron and lugging big hoses around. The last place I wanted to be this morning was ringside while two hard-headed men traded blows.

“That’s just splendid,” I mumbled as I headed toward the snowcat’s back doors. “Merry freaking Christmas, everyone.”